Crystal Marshall-KraussI was wandering around on Pinterest this weekend and rediscovered a simple strategy I haven't had the chance to use since leaving the classroom and just had to share it: Smile BreaksYou've probably heard of brain breaks. Short exercises to help students take a mini-break from thinking and gather themselves. Many teachers use these throughout the day or during transition times. But, a smile break aims to do something a little different, and the way I ended up using them became a little different still. What is a smile break supposed to do?
I don't have time for this silliness! I have things to teach!I know! I know that time is the most precious resource in any teacher's day. Taking time out for some emotional wellbeing can seem like one more thing to do. But hear me out because I know how much there is to do as a teacher. Smile breaks became such a useful part of my instruction becauseI used them to address a problem I had--my pacing.
What teacher hasn't heard from her students, "Slow down! You're going too fast." We have so much to cover and sometimes forget that this might be the first time students are hearing this information. I would often give my students a survey (feel free to steal and modify for your needs) asking for feedback about my teaching. And each time for a long time a big point for improvement was my pacing. I went too fast. They couldn't keep up, especially around language instruction.
Ok, I'm sold! Where can i find smile breaks?
0 Comments
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2017
Categories
All
|